The Carroll News: First Editorial

So, this isn't my first newspaper editorial - that distinction belongs to a piece I did for the University of Tennessee's Daily Beacon about the importance of maintaining academic freedom (you can check it out at http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/showarticle.php?articleid=16419). But I figured what the heck, let's put it online, see if anyone is interested. My friend Allen Worrell at the The Carroll News (http://www.thecarrollnews.com/index.shtml), a weekly up in Virginia, asked if I might be interested in adding some content and, as anyone who knows me will testify, I never miss the opportunity at the bully pulpit. Now, for you political scientists reading, remember, I wrote this for a newspaper - don't be expecting anything theoretical loaded with -isms and words like "null hypothesis" or "Madisonian." Regardless, enjoy:

As elections again draw near in Virginia, that old question comes up again and again. Why should we vote?

Good question. Here are a few reasons. First, let's go straight for the heartstrings. Since the Revolutionary war, millions of men and women have dedicated their lives to protecting our right to take part in a democracy. As of this week, 1,006,824 had died doing so (according to the Department of Defense). If we respect those men and women, if we have any sense of gratitude, voting is the only answer. Trust me, after you pull that handle, you’ll feel better about yourself.

Secondly, and far more practically, voting is how we decide things in this country. The leaders we elect will decide how much of the money we earn will be taxed. They’ll decide whether to send our family members, our friends, or us to fight in a war. Those same leaders will decide what property rights we do and don’t have. Elected leaders decide how many police and firemen we should have. They’ll chose who can and can’t have guns and decide where to build roads, dams, and power-lines. They’ll decide how much privacy we’re allowed to have and they’ll nominate the judges who will run our courts. These leaders are the people who are make a government that protects us, educates us, and take care of our elderly and orphaned. And occasionally, when we’re lucky, those leaders will let us decide for ourselves what should be done in referendums.

If we chose bad leaders then we get bad decisions and a bad government. If we chose good men and women with bad policies, then again we get bad decisions and a bad government. Put simply, elections matter because they make government do what it does not just to other people, but also to us. If we don’t take part in elections, then we’re giving up our ability to make government better—and our ability to make government help us as individuals.

But let’s not stop there. Let’s not just make our decision based on television advertisements or gut-feelings. Catch up on your news from as many sources as you can—if you have this paper in your hands or you’re reading this editorial on-line, you’re already on your way. Acquaint yourself with the issues, figure out what problems matter to you and which you can let slide. Then do some research, figure out what the candidates are saying on those issues. This newspaper is a great start, but follow it up with information from other sources like magazines, the radio, or a trip to the internet. You’ll be amazed at how much you can find, including the websites of many of the candidates. If you don’t have the net at home, head to the library—I’m sure they’d be more than willing to help you out, especially since your tax dollars are already paying for it. If the candidates haven’t made their stance on an issue or issues that are important to you, write them. If they won’t tell you, write your local paper and put up posters—guilt him or her into telling you. Finally, find out if which candidates live up to their promises and which are just full of hot air—its all public record and pretty easy to find. You deserve to know.

Remember—good government is your responsibility. Government is what we make it through voting. If you don’t vote or if you vote irresponsibly, you’re not just hurting yourself, you’re hurting America, Virginia, and your community.

As a farmer from Charlottesville named Jefferson once said, “If the nation expects to be ignorant and free . . .it expects what never was and never will be.”